I'm no baker but I'd be concerned that the bourbon has a textural effect, not just taste. I like boubon but if I didn't I'd sub with a liquor - not wine - that I did enjoy.

There's something about Cake and Booze threads that always lure me in, and I instantly morph into W.C. Fields.
Truth be told, I hardly ever touch the stuff, and yet, here I am, at 9 a.m. talking alcohol.


At any rate, Boca Negra (Black Mouth) is a cake I've had my eye (in fact, both eyes) on for some time, but have yet to make. The recipe appears slightly different in her book, however, where it calls for 1/2 cup bourbon, instead of 1/4 cup.
And the only chocolate going into the cake itself is bittersweet chocolate (the white chocolate goes into a sauce).


With that in mind, you could certainly use a fortified wine, such as Vermouth or Marsala. Although, for me, a personal favorite with chocolate is Tawny Port.

Cognac is a good contender. But if you have none of the above, plain old coffee would complement the bittersweet chocolate in this rich dessert.


Sol

And you can always buy a little 'airplane' bottle of booze of choice at well-stocked liquor stores. Avoid buying a larger bottle that you won't use/enjoy.

Is it just the bourbon flavor you object to? If I were not using bourbon, I'd use another distilled spirit, such as rum, scotch, vodka, or rye. I probably would not use gin or tequila or wine or fortified wine such as marsala or port (although I love dishes containing either).

Let us know what you do and how it turns out!

I would probably like kirsch, Cassis, Frangelico, Grand Marnier, or amaretto in addition to some of the others mentioned. Bailey's could also be good. Personally, vermouth or red wine do not seem like a good match. Madeira could be lovely.

You could certainly use another type of whiskey - IMO, good bourbon has a vanilla-like quality to its flavour, so you might mix a whiskey w/ some good vanilla....

So far I'm liking Tishtoshnm's kirsch suggestion best.

Lars, I totally agree that there's bourbon and then there's bourbon. Same for scotch. Even a lot of the "brand name" stuff isn't good for much beyond settling down morning shakes, IMO. ;-)

I agree with FOAS and vote for Tishtoshmom's answer, or brandy. I keep a cute little bottle of domestic brandy in my spice rack for just this kind of thing. :) Bourbon is sweet and boozy, so I'd want to use something sweet and boozy. :)

Thank you all so much for such useful and interesting replies!

I think l'lll use liqueur, as I usually keep some Amaretto for cheese cakes anyway.

Plain old coffee might be just the thing for when I have a 4 year old among the guests. I'll be feeding her caffeine but it's better than getting her boozy :)

Won't the alcohol cook off?

"Won't the alcohol cook off?" Mostly, plus the amount, 1/4 cup for the entire cake. 4 Tablespoons. If there are 12 servings to the cake, that's 1 teaspoon per serving. Just like a spoonful of cough syrup!

Actually, they did some studies a few years back, and far more alcohol remains than conventional wisdom would say. There's quite a bit of alcohol left after the biting alcohol taste is gone. For a normal cake, about a quarter of the alcohol is left--it depends on baking time and temperature. Sushipup's cough syrup comparison is apt. :)

Now I think I'll just go ahead and use cough syrup. Some cough syrups are just yummy!